She admits that at one point, her confidence levels were "somewhere close to zero".
She bounced back, representing the Steel and then the Magic but her court time was sporadic, mainly consigned to the bench until a relative breakthrough this year.
"It's good to be back," Tuki told the Herald on Sunday. "It's been a long time. I never lost the passion and drive but there were some definite lulls where I thought maybe I'm not cut out for this any more."
She gives a lot of the credit for her rebirth to Magic coach Noeline Taurua, venerated in the netball world for her 'players come first' approach.
"She always has an open door and promotes open communication, which has been so helpful to me," says Tuki.
"I also used to think that sports psychology was a waste of time but it has been very useful; I have learned how to appreciate the small things."
Looking back now, Tuki thinks her 2006 call-up was "probably too much, too soon". Certainly it was a shock to most netball observers.
Jodi Brown was injured before the tournament and Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken opted to take Tuki to Melbourne. She had been part of the victorious New Zealand under-21 team at the 2005 world championships but was still green.
Just a few years earlier, as a schoolgirl representing Taranaki in the national provincial championships, she had joined a long queue courtside for the autograph of Irene van Dyk, then playing for Wellington.
"I borrowed a big jersey from some random person and put it on over my uniform," remembers Tuki. "Obviously I didn't want her to know I was a player too. I did the same for Vilimaina Davu, so was pretty embarrassed when she was my room-mate at the Commonwealth Games; I didn't mention it at the time but we have laughed about it since."
Tuki played three matches in Melbourne and it wasn't pretty. She shot at 50 per cent against minnows St Vincent, 69 per cent versus Fiji and just 44 per cent against Malawi.
"Netball New Zealand saw something in me," says Tuki. "Maybe I didn't have the same belief that they had in me. I thought it was too fast."
Tuki's stocks plummeted further when she returned home. She struggled for the Rebels; her shooting stats were often below 50 per cent, sometimes they sank as low as 30 per cent. Dropped by the Otago side, she went back to club netball.
"It was a good chance to have some time off and things had gotten pretty bad," says Tuki. "My hands used to tremble whenever I was lining up a shot - it was mentally draining. I didn't want to shoot the ball, I wanted to run away from the ball. My height was my only saving grace; I missed a lot but would often get the rebound."
Given another chance with the Steel and then the Magic, shooting became a thing of the past; she showed her all-round talent by playing for the Waikato side in the defensive circle, as well as wing defence.
This season, she has been used mostly at wing attack. At 1.88m, she is by far the tallest in that position in the competition.
"It was definitely a relief of pressure," says Tuki. "You can still use your creativity and flair without that final pressure that comes with shooting."
Silver Ferns coach Wai Taumaunu says Tuki not only stood out for the Magic this year but also impressed at goal keep for Wellington in the NPC.
"I saw things I would like to have a closer look at in a team environment," says Taumaunu in explaining Tuki's selection. "I'm not sure what her best position is - that is one of the reasons for calling her up. She certainly brings a lot of height to the midcourt. Her athleticism has always been pretty special but as a shooter, she was always erratic."
"She is extremely athletic and powerful," says Netball New Zealand high performance manager Tracey Fear of Tuki, who has also represented Taranaki in basketball and athletics.
"Her main issue has been getting court time. She has great elevation, which makes her a threat in the defensive circle and also a big target in the midcourt. The jury is still out on her best position."
Tuki recently graduated from Waikato University with a business degree, majoring in accounting, and was meant to start work at a local accounting firm two weeks ago.
"It was a bit awkward," admits Tuki, "I had to say sorry but I need to go to England to play netball; they eventually agreed it was better if I started later."
A bit like her netball career.
